Neighbors of gun range assured of safety measures

Neighbors near the Oregon Trail Gun Range in Bannock County can rest a little easier tonight. Commissioners agreed to increase safety of the gun range before a land transfer can begin between the Bureau of Land Management and Bannock County.

“You’ve taken a piece of my ground and made it absolutely worthless. I couldn’t sell it if I wanted to,” said a homeowner at the public hearing inside the Bannock County Court House Wednesday.

“Who’s going to reimburse me for the land I can’t do anything with? The county?

Homeowners had concerns of possible lead contamination on their land from the bullets fired from the range over time. But range management at the meeting Wednesday, assured them there will be lead removal teams brought down from Montana as a safety precaution.

“A berm is basically a safety guard that’s left around before it hits the target once it’s left the firearm,” said gun range member Earmal Mckinley.

And that’s exactly one of the things the gun range will set in place – extending the mounds of dirt known as “berms” that they already have. Which are designed to keep bullets within the range.

On the lead issue side, McKinley agrees with what the commissioners have set up to do.

“Commissioners have asked the range board to bring in a specialist to clean up the area, getting in contact with homeowners as well, to make it safe for them.”

The safety measures need to happen first before the land transfer can happen. Commissioner Howard Manwaring says the reason for the land transfer is, problems will be easier to address if a local entity controls it.

“I think it’s going well. I think getting a safety report first is the best thing to do. We want to make sure they’re safe before we take ownership. When that time comes, we can address those things,” said Commissioner Howard Manwaring.

As soon as that safety report returns, they will give word on the next public hearing to determine if the land transfer will finally begin.